Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Sōseki was a Japanese novelist, poet, and university teacher who wrote in the Japanese language.
Born on February 9, 1867, in Kikuichō, he was educated at Nishogakusha University, Hibiya High School, and the University of Tokyo, before continuing his studies at University College London. That educational path, moving between domestic institutions and a major British university, shaped the context in which he worked as both a writer and a teacher.
His body of work spans poetry, prose fiction, and narrative writing across a substantial number of titles. Among his notable works are I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, and Kokoro. He also produced The Gate, Kusamakura, Ten Nights of Dreams, and Light and Darkness. These works, written in Japanese, represent a range of forms and registers across his career as a novelist and poet.
Sōseki died on December 9, 1916, in Waseda-Minamichō. His output as a writer and poet, produced during a career that also included work as a university teacher, is represented by titles that have continued to be associated with his name.
Quotes by Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Sōseki's insights on:
True. I know almost everything about almost everything. Perhaps the only thing I don't know all about is the real extent of my own foolishness. But even on that, I can make a pretty good guess.
Hanya karena seseorang pandai berargumen, tidak berarti orang itu orang baik. Sama halnya seseorang yang dikalahkan dalam argumen adalah orang jahat.
If asked to wh did I devote my prayers I would be at a loss to say. Not being on speaking terms with any god worth praying to I just prayed aimlessly. And sure enough, there are no signs of any miracle.
Ora io sto studiando questo libro solo per l'esame, solo per guadagnarmi il pane, trattenendo rabbia e lacrime. Ricordate: sia maledetto per sempre il sistema degli esami!
Me parece que por cada tipo de personaje que exista en una novela, habrá al menos una persona en el mundo justamente como él. Nosotros los humanos somos sencillamente incapaces de imaginar acciones o comportamientos no humanos.
A man capable of love, or I should say rather a man who was by nature incapable of not loving; but a man who could not wholeheartedly accept the love of another--such a one was Sensei.
The sun rises. And the sun sets. And the sun rises and sets... When the red sun rises in the east and sets in the west, then I will... Will you wait for me?
Even bigger than Japan is the inside of your head. Don't ever surrender yourself- not to Japan, not to anything. You may think that what you're doing is for the sake of the nation, but let something take possession of you like that, and all you do is bring it down.
I am a lonely man,' Sensei said. 'And so I am glad that you come to see me. But I am also a melancholy man, and so I asked you why you should wish to visit me so often.